Sea of early New Orleans voters dries up

A month ago, Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters Sandra Wilson could look out the door of her City Hall office to find a seemingly endless line of citizens waiting patiently -- some for hours -- to vote early in the Nov. 4 election.

In all, about 13,000 voters showed up early to cast ballots that featured the historic presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain, along with a slew of local contests, including the race for Orleans Parish district attorney.

How times have changed.

When the books closed last week on early voting for Saturday's election, the tally of cast ballots totaled about 1,100, or just 8 percent of last month's showing, the registrar said.

Wilson said the low turnout resulted in far less strain for her small staff.

"This one was comparatively easy, " she said.

Although she acknowledged that the presidential ballot roused voters in a way that typical election lineups don't, Wilson said she is concerned about the prospect of voter fatigue.

"This has been a very heavy election year, but I would urge citizens to pay attention to what's on the election agenda, " she said.

The rare December ballot features just two races in New Orleans. The 2nd Congressional District general election pits nine-term incumbent Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat, against Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao, Green Party candidate Malik Rahim and Libertarian Gregory Kahn. The district covers nearly all of New Orleans, as well as parts of Jefferson Parish.

Meanwhile, a special election in the state Senate's 3rd District matches state Rep. J.P. Morrell and businessman Shawn Barney, both New Orleans Democrats. The district stretches from Lake Pontchartrain through Gentilly to the French Quarter and also includes Algiers Point and some other sections of Jefferson Parish's West Bank.

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CROONING FOR CAO: When New Orleans politics is the topic, Pat Boone isn't the first name that comes to mind. Or the second. Or the third.

But in a news release issued Wednesday by the Cao campaign, the iconic entertainer who made white buck shoes famous goes to great lengths to sing the praises of the Republican candidate for Congress.

In his role as national spokesman for the 60 Plus Association, a nonpartisan senior citizen group, Boone announced that Cao is a 2008 recipient of the organization's Honorary Guardian of Seniors' Rights award.

"Joseph Cao can always be counted on to protect Social Security, " Boone said in citing Cao's support for repealing the 1993 tax imposed by President Clinton on those benefits. Hailing Cao as "a tax cutter, protecting the pocketbooks of senior citizens, " Boone added that "seniors will have no finer friend in Congress than Joseph Cao."

A recording artist and actor who parlayed his perfectly combed hair and gleaming smile into stardom during the 1950s and 1960s, Boone has fashioned a new career in his golden years as motivational speaker, conservative political commentator and popular Christian activist.

The Guardian Award is presented to Democrats and Republicans in Congress based on their "senior-friendly" voting records. The Honorary Award is given to those running for office, based on their views on issues affecting older Americans.

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Michelle Krupa can be reached at mkrupa@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3312.
Frank Donze can be reached at fdonze@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3328. 